Page 39 of Worth the Trouble

Blood chilling to the marrow, Cece turned. “Jason isn’t like that.”

“Nothing would make me happier than knowing he cares about you for you. But you have to admit that his interest in you is a little⁠—”

“A little what? He can’t possibly like me because I’m an outsider? Because I’m the villain in this story? Or why wouldn’t he like me?”

His face was hard as he patiently waited for her to get her irritation out of her system.

“Because that’s not who he is. He doesn’t want to know anything about this project. He only wants to get to know me, as a person. We enjoy each other’s company. And he never pushes me past my comfort zone. I’ve never, not once, felt judged by him.”

“That all may be true,” her father conceded. “But people aren’t perfect. We’re all human and we all have something we want out of this life. The only ones we can count on these days to be loyal are family. Blood. I’m just looking out for you. I don’t want to see you hurt because you let some cowboy pull the wool over your eyes.”

She held her keycard tighter, letting the edge dig into her palm. “We might be alike on several levels, but on this one, we couldn’t be more different. Jason has a good heart. He’d never betray me for anything.”

He arched a brow. “You truly believe that?”

Cecelia nodded. “I know it deep in my soul.”

“Well, for your sake, I hope you’re right.” With that, he turned and headed back into his room, leaving Cecelia reeling. She stared at the door for long, unseeing moments before she spun around and entered her own room.

It wasn’t until after she’d taken a quick shower that she sent Jason a text, inviting him to go for a walk with her tomorrow.

When he agreed, relief washed over her, soothing, and cooled her heated skin. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to fall to sleep thinking of him and the evening they’d spent together.

Most specifically, that kiss.

Cecelia shoved a blanket into a bag and slipped out of her room without a sound. She didn’t expect her father to be standing guard outside her room, but then, crazier things had happened.

Thankfully, she was able to get down to the main level and out the elevator doors without interacting with anyone. As she passed through the lobby, her eyes snagged on a familiar figure. The man from the other night.

He glanced her way as she passed and when she offered him a small smile, he didn’t smile in return. Instead, his mouth formed a tight line, and he returned to reading whatever it was on his phone.

She frowned, glancing back at him once. Where did she know him from? Normally, she was so good with names and faces. It was strange to recognize someone so far away from home.

Cecelia was dealing with the frustration of not remembering when she nearly bumped into Jason outside.

His hands came up immediately and wrapped around her upper arms to keep her steady. But it was his warm chuckle that soothed the day’s irritations from under her skin. From the second she’d woken up that morning, she’d had to deal with the ugly side of her job, the one she didn’t like sharing with anyone, especially not someone as good as Jason.

She gasped with shock when he leaned down without preamble and kissed her. This one was nothing like the claiming kiss from the night before. While she’d been startled, that emotion quickly dwindled into nothing but warm desire as his lips roved over hers, teasing and searching. The kiss was a dance, a rekindling of what they’d started less than twenty-four hours ago.

It was sweet and kind. Every bit the sort of kiss she’d expect from her strong, silent cowboy. His hands rose up her arms until he cradled her head in order to keep her still. Or at least that was her read on it.

This was a new, unrestrained version of Jason she hadn’t been prepared for, and yet, she loved it just as much as the man she’d grown to admire and trust. When he finally released her, he stared at her with eyes so full of adoration that butterflies erupted in her. No one had ever looked at her like this.

She exhaled a single word, “Wow.”

He chuckled then pulled her into his side and kissed her temple. They walked in silence for several minutes without saying a word. Cece had to let everything settle, but she had a distinct feeling that Jason was enjoying being in nature with her.

He’d know if she lied. He always did. So she said nothing, and the nothing sat in her gut along with the morning. She’d sat across a desk from Kyle Sinclair three hours ago and made sure the meeting notices would stay inside City Hall. He’d said it was already handled. It had been that easy.

Jason’s arm dropped from her shoulders and his fingers laced with hers. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

He stopped and turned her to face him. “Tell me.”

She looked at him. It was right there. I did something this morning you’d hate. She got as far as a breath.

“It’s work,” she said. “It has nothing to do with you.”